CAO Italia

DAVID

CONSTRUCTION: 9
FLAVOR: 5

STRENGTH: 7

OVERALL RATING: 7

MANUFATURER: CAO ITALIA CIAO
RING GUAGE: 56
LENGTH: 5
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
WRAPPER TYPE: HONDURAN MADURO (CUBAN SEED)
FILLER: ITALLIAN HABANO, PERUVIAN AND NICARAGUAN
WHERE PURCHASED: THOMPSON & CO. ONLINE
COST: PART OF A SAMPLER
WHERE SMOKED: LAS VEGAS, NV - BLACK MOUNTAIN BACK PORCH
WHEN SMOKED: 10:30 PM SUMMER TIME, COOL EVENING THOUGH

NOTES:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: REALLY LIKED THE BAND ON THIS ONE, KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A SOCCER CLUB LOGO. BEAUTIFUL RICH OILY WRAPPER, A COUPLE OF SMALL HOLES THOUGH, ONE SEEMED TO BE HIDDEN UNDER THE WRAPPER. IT CUT WELL THE HEAD AND CAP HELD TOGETHER WELL. THE WRAPPER SEEMS VERY THICK. SMELLS AND TASTES SWEET WITH NOTES OF CHOCOLATE. CIGAR FEELS GOOD IN THE HAND, GREAT CONSTRUCTION, MINUS THE TWO HOLES IN THE WRAPPER.

THE SMOKE: LIT VERY EASY, USING A TORCH LIGHTER. VERY EASY DRAW, WAY TO LOOSE FOR ME, I PREFER A LITTLE RESISTANCE AND THIS DIDN'T OFFER ANY. PRETTY HARSH START, VERY STRONG TASTE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN CEDAR AND OAK AND I COULDN'T GET PAST THIS AT ALL. IT DID SMOOTH OUT ABOUT A THIRD OF THE WAY THROUGH BUT THAT DIDN'T LAST LONG. BECAUSE THE WOOD FLAVORS WERE SO STRONG I COULDN'T FIND MUCH COMPLEXITY IN IT, HOWEVER THERE WERE SOME SLIGHT SPICE AND PEPPER TONES. IT HAD A NICE SHORT FINISH, WHICH I DO LIKE, BUT THAT WAS A WOOD FLAVORED FINISH. THE CIGAR CONTINUALLY WET MY PALATE. IT HAD A NICE AROMA WITH HINTS OF CARMEL AND VANILLA, THOSE CARRIED OVER TO THE LIPS. THE BURN ON THIS THING WAS UGLY, BEGINNING TO END, THOUGH IT DID KEEP A NICE SOLID WHITE ASH. THE ASH HELD ON FOR A STUPID AMOUNT OF TIME, IT MUST HAVE BEEN TWO AND A HALF INCHES BEFORE IT DROPPED OFF, A NICE PLEASANT SURPRISE.


CONCLUSION: IT WAS JUST AN AVERAGE CIGAR FOR ME, NOTHING SPECTACULAR, ALMOST BELOW AVERAGE. NOT VERY COMPLEX, COULDN’T QUITE GET PAST THE WOOD FLAVORS. HARSCH AT FIRST, SMOOTHER IN THE MIDDLE, A LITTLE BIT ACIDIC A THE END. I LIKED THE SHORT FINISH TO IT, UNFORTUNATELY THAT FINISH WAS COVERED IN WOOD. I ABSOLUTELY HATED THE BURN, SO CROOKED IT WAS UNREAL, THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I WANTED TO JUST PUT IT OUT. ON A POSITIVE NOTE I DID GET SOME WONDERFUL FLORAL NOTES ON MY FINGERS AFTER I WAS FINISHED WITH THE CIGAR. I HAVE TO SAY I EXPECTED MORE, I WOULD SMOKE ONE AGAIN IF SOMEONE WERE TO OFFER ME ONE, BUT I WOULDN'T BUY ANOTHER.